COCONUT ALMOND MACAROONS (VEGAN + GLUTEN FREE)

Toasty coconut on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, these vegan coconut macaroons are everything a good coconut macaroon should be!

They are very reminiscent of Almond Joy candy bars with the addition of almonds and chocolate. Truthfully, I was never quite fond of Almond Joy’s, but in cookie form I’ll eat them all day! It must be the toastiness of the coconut that I love. I can’t resist toasted coconut, it adds great flavor and texture to just about anything.

This is my second time making these little gems. For my first attempt, I made them without flour, which left them very crumbly. The flour is a must and acts as a binder. Flavor wise, they were delicious from the first try – not too sweet and perfect texture. If you’re not a chocolate lover, feel free to eat them plain and simple. But, for a more decadent treat the chocolate is the way to go!

These coconut macaroons are:

Egg-free

Dairy-free

Healthy

Gluten-Free

& of course Delicious

So bring on the coconut and let’s get baking!

Vegan Coconut Macaroons Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut flakes (I used Bob Red Mill)

1 cup canned coconut milk, full or low-fat

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup slivered almonds (chopped is ok too)

1/2 cup spelt, oat, coconut or almond flour (or flour of choice)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of mineral salt

7 oz. vegan dark chocolate bar or chocolate chips

How To Make Vegan Coconut Macaroons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the coconut, coconut milk, syrup, almonds, flour, vanilla and salt, mix well (shown above left). Using a 2 tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop out rounded tablespoons, making sure to pack it well. This last part is very important, or your macaroons may tend to fall apart. Place packed mounds on cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart (above right). Bake in oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden, rotating sheet half through baking. Let cool completely.

How To Tell When The Coconut Macaroons Are Done?

Your macaroons will be ready when they become slightly golden in color. The ones above were cooked at the max, 25 minutes.

Feel free to eat them as is, or for a little extra pizzazz dip them in chocolate and/or add a drizzle of chocolate over top.

How To Make Coconut Macaroons With Chocolate

Warm the chocolate on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently until melted. Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping to give a good stir every 30 seconds. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate. Place the cookies back on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle remaining chocolate on top using a spoon or pastry piping bag. Refrigerate for 7 – 10 minutes, or until set.

COCONUT ALMOND MACAROONS

Toasty coconut on the outside and tender on the inside. These coconut macaroons use minimal ingredients and are super easy to make!

Prep Time:15 min

Cook Time:25 min

Total Time:40 minutes

Yield:Makes 24

Category:Dessert

Cuisine:Gluten Free, Vegan

Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut flakes (I used Bob Red Mill)

1 cup canned coconut milk, full or low-fat

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup slivered almonds (chopped is ok too)

1/2 cup spelt, oat, coconut or almond flour (or flour of choice)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of mineral salt

7 oz. vegan dark chocolate bar or chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the coconut, coconut milk, syrup, almonds, flour, vanilla and salt, mix well. Using a 2 tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop out rounded tablespoons, making sure to pack it well. This last part is very important, or your macaroons may tend to fall apart. Place packed mounds on cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake in oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden, rotating sheet half through baking. Let cool completely.

Warm the chocolate on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently until melted. Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave, stopping to give a good stir every 30 seconds. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate. Place the cookies back on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle remaining chocolate on top using a spoon or pastry piping bag. Refrigerate for 7 – 10 minutes, or until set.

Makes 24

Store macaroons covered or in an airtight container, will last for up to 4 – 5 days. To keep fresher longer, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

NOTES:

It is very important to gently, but firmly, pack the mixture when making the coconut mounds. If they aren’t packed well, they will likely fall apart or ‘go flat’ when done. Don’t be afraid to pack them well, you will be thankful in the end! :)

Recipe was updated on 12/19/18 to add an extra 1/4 cup of flour, totaling 1/2 cup. This should ensure your macaroons won’t fall apart. Thanks to Janine for commenting and suggesting adding a little more flour.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Well, thank you! I used spelt flour here… I’ve also seen some recipes that use almond flour and coconut flour if looking to keep these gluten free, the oat flour would work great too. Of course, you can use any other flours you might normally use. Hope you get a chance to try them soon! Cheers :)

So sorry to hear! Nothing worse than taking time to make something and not have it turn out as expected. The only thing I would say is to make sure you pack the rounds as best as you can before placing them on the baking sheet. If they aren’t packed well enough they will tend to fall apart. I’ve made these a couple times with no issues so I’m almost 100% positive that is the reason. I hope you give it another go and have better results.

I just tried these – mine turned out very crumbly, impossible to dip in chocolate, became a mess. I followed recipe exactly. Not sure what is/was missing as I’m not a baker but clearly something is/was….a binding agent of sorts!

Mine turned out tasty and beautiful! I had no crumbling at all and they came right off the sheet after cooling. As said above, I think you really need the proper cookie scoop to pack them together tightly. I’m in love with mine & it really is a baker’s must have!

I’m so sorry to hear. I’m thinking they may not have been packed enough before baking. I’ve added a note and highlighted the fact in the recipe itself. I apologize for not doing it sooner as it is very important. It wasn’t emphasized as it should’ve been. I hope you do try them again. I’m sure the next time you’ll have success!

Maybe some people’s are falling apart because the quantity of coconut milk being used is not consistent? I’m using an entire 13.5 fl oz can but I just noticed in the photo that the milk is in a 1/2-cup measuring cup. Is it supposed to be half a cup of coconut milk only? I also added two egg whites to mine because it looked pretty watery so I wanted something to help the mixture hold together. Haven’t baked them yet… letting the mixture sit in the fridge to solidify a little.

Hi Nadine, it’s 1 cup canned. Usually a whole can is about 1 1/2 cups. You may need to add more shredded coconut and flour, and make sure to pack them well when making the mounds. Chilling the mixture a bit is a good idea too, I hope they come out to your liking. Let us know how it goes. Fingers crossed. :)

Hi, I just made these, have a powerful craving for coconut and chocolate at the moment. My cookies haven’t fallen apart but they feel very soft to the touch – unbaked I would say. But – is this normal for this recipe? The mixture was very wet when I mounded the cookies. I was doubtful about the mixture from the beginning as it was so wet but soldiered on. Any tips? Do they harden as they cool?

My sister and I made these macaroons today and they are beautiful and delicious. As we worked with it and attempted to pack them tightly into the cookie scoop we realized that more binding was needed. We used oat flour and increased it to almost a half cup total. Turned out perfectly. so we think the challenge that people are having is in needing to increase the binder rather than working harder at pressing them into the cookie scoop. We really appreciate You and the work you put into this recipe. It’s definitely a treat for this Christmas season.